Concepción, Chile

Concepción on the map of Chile

Concepción, Concepción de María officially La Purisima del Nuevo Extremo, is a town in the South American Andean country Chile with 212,000 inhabitants ( 2005).

Concepción is the center of Gran Concepción, one of the addition to the capital Santiago de Chile two major urban areas of the country. The agglomeration has about one million inhabitants and is considered to Santiago as the second most important economic center of Chile.

Geography

Concepción is located approximately 500 kilometers south of Santiago on the river Bío -Bío, which is 1.8 kilometers wide, shortly before its confluence with the Pacific Ocean. Seaport, naval base at the same time, the closely adjacent Talcahuano.

History

Concepción was founded in 1550 on the site of today's neighboring port city of Penco by Pedro de Valdivia. The city was repeatedly overrun and destroyed by the Mapuche.

Nature, too, has several times the settlement severely damaged. A first earthquake was the earthquake in 1570 that destroyed the town. A second took place in the year 1657th After 1751 the third earthquake, the city had again destroyed, it was moved inland in 1754,

1818 was proclaimed the independence of Chile Concepción.

On February 20, 1835, very heavy earthquake of magnitude 8.5 destroyed the entire city. Because the three-minute quake occurred at 11.30 clock, were less than 100 fatalities. In total, about 5000 people died by the forces of nature but because even in seventy surrounding villages the houses collapsed and a subsequent tsunami the fishing port of Talcahuano washed into the sea. Charles Darwin was visiting the city lying in ruins.

The population in 1882 was 19,000.

Other very severe earthquake followed in 1939 and 1960. They destroyed the colonial buildings of the city and each demanded considerable sacrifices. In order to avoid the damage to reinforced concrete buildings since low future quake withstand. The population lives mostly in small wooden houses which an earthquake rather than the traditional stand Natursteinbauten.

Since 1995 high-rise buildings but increasingly emerged to meet the growing housing demand. Lack of land for urban expansion and rising land prices force this design - the earthquake safety when claimed by architects / structural engineers, must prove only.

On 27 February 2010, there was in the Pacific Ocean about 100 kilometers northwest of Concepcion to a major earthquake. It had a magnitude of 8.8 Mw on the moment magnitude scale, which it was the worst earthquake in Chile for nearly 50 years. In the city there was massive destruction: So rushed a 14-story building and closed a hundred people.

Education and Culture

Concepción is the seat of the Archdiocese of Concepción with the current Archbishop Fernando Natalio Chomali Garib and administrative headquarters of the Bío -Bío Region.

Concepción has many universities, some of which are state, many private. In 1919 the Universidad de Concepción was founded, which has also earned a good reputation internationally. In 1958 another university was founded, the Universidad del Bío -Bío, named after the region of Bío -Bío and after the river Bío -Bío, Concepción is located on the. Also to mention is the Universidad de la Santisima Concepcion and private universities and colleges such as the Universidad de San Sebastián Andrés Bello or the Universidad.

Also you can learn Spanish in Concepcion, some courses are offered by privately run institutions, some courses are organized directly at the universities.

There are several private international schools ( German School, English School, French School ), a theater, although there is usually acts as a movie theater or concert house and has its own company. In Hualpén there is a museum which displays finds and collectibles from around the world. These include pipes from Tyrol and even an Egyptian mummy.

The Universidad de Concepción is almost alone the cultural program for the entire city. So hosts regular jazz concerts with musicians from all over the country, small film festivals, dances and other cultural events take place. Also located on the grounds of the University an art gallery, a significant mural called especially her own, explaining the history of the Latin American continent.

It play two Premiership football clubs and a top-flight basketball team in the city.

Hotel El Araucano

Economy and Transport

Concepción is a trading center for agricultural products that are grown in the fertile land. Important for the urban economy are food processing, iron and steel industry, and the oil, chemicals and wood processing industry. Also try the area, located heavy industry in the port city of Talcahuano, in the shape of the steel plant Huachipato.

The Hauptverladehafen of Concepción, San Vicente. From here, the products are shipped throughout the world. San Vicente, as well as the ports of Talchuano and Lirquen were severely damaged by the tsunami after the earthquake of 27 February 2010.

The city is located 82 km from the Panamericana away and is connected by a highway with her. In the vicinity of Concepción there with the two lines of Biotrén, whose name derives from the river Río Bío Bío, an S -Bahn -like local transport service. To the next Terrasur Station ( in Chillán ) and to the airport " Aeródromo Carriel Sur " buses.

Sons and daughters of the town

  • Otto Aichel, German anatomist and high school teacher in Santiago de Chile, Halle ( Saale) and Kiel
  • Manuel Bulnes Prieto, Chilean politician, General. From 1841 to 1851 President
  • José Joaquín Prieto Vial, politicians. From 1831 to 1841 President
  • Klaus boy chess master
  • Carlos Keller Rueff, a journalist and writer and chief ideologue of the National Socialist Movement of Chile
  • René Schneider, General and Commander in Chief of the military
  • Enrique Soro Barriga, Chilean composer
  • Pablo Ardouin, Chilean folk musician
  • René Ríos Boettiger, cartoonist
  • Los Bunkers, Chilean band
  • Los Tres, Chilean band

Twinning

  • Argentina La Plata ( 1993)
  • Argentina Rosario ( 1997)
  • Ecuador Cuenca (Ecuador ) (2006 )
  • Brazil Cascavel (2006)

Twinning " Mercociudades "

In Argentina Argentina

  • Córdoba
  • Buenos Aires
  • Bahía Blanca
  • Mar del Plata
  • La Plata
  • Comodoro Rivadavia
  • Mendoza
  • Santiago del Estero
  • Salta
  • Ushuaia

In Bolivia Bolivia

  • La Paz
  • Cochabamba

In Brazil Brazil

  • Sao Paulo
  • Porto Alegre
  • Curitiba
  • Brasilia
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Salvador

In Chile Chile

  • Santiago de Chile
  • Concepción
  • Valparaíso
  • Arica
  • Rancagua
  • Puerto Montt

In Paraguay

  • Asunción
  • Concepción
  • Jesús

In Peru

  • Lima
  • Lurín

In Uruguay Uruguay

  • Montevideo
  • Rivera
Andes S-Bahn Klaus Junge Rosario (Santa Fe) Cuenca (Ecuador) 1969 1965
200539
de